U.S. OPEN

September 4, 1993

Thomas Muster

THOMAS MUSTER: When?

THOMAS MUSTER: It is sore. Just ice it, do my treatment and everything, stretching, just have easy practice tomorrow. That is it.

THOMAS MUSTER: Yeah, I have -- I have no other choice.

THOMAS MUSTER: Yeah, especially now when I have new balls and tried to play wide, wide serve and come in and down the line shot because he was returning most of the time crosscourt and come in with the forehand and worked quite well. I wasn't serving well first two sets at the end. Now I start to pick up the pace and speed of my serve and help me a lot now at the end.

THOMAS MUSTER: Well, I mean, I played from the baseline most of the time too. I suppose -- I expected him to come in more. He didn't. And it is very, very slow because the balls are very fluffy, so there is not much of a chance for me to come in. He was hitting the balls quite deep. The only chance I had was to serve and volley, but I didn't feel like doing that, so I mean, I don't mind to run the backcourt and just play the balls. I mean, the speed of the surface is not much faster than a claycourt probably. It is just different to run because you can't slide. But basically it is the same kind of game here. It depends who you play. Pete Sampras, he is going to come in on clay the same way he does here.

THOMAS MUSTER: Yeah, I am a very, usually, quiet person. I mean, I am never -- I am not too excited actually outside the court. It is just for me I don't feel like sitting down. It is not necessary; for me it is nonsense to have -- I mean, the chairs there. I could have played many years ago when there was no chair in the changeover.

THOMAS MUSTER: I just need a high level of emotion to play. It is like maybe like Connors or somebody who always was emotional when he played. It is just -- the other guys they never show emotions. Look at Pete Sampras, I mean --

THOMAS MUSTER: Well, I have had always done that when I was a kid, and it is kind of tactic when you breathe. It is just, I try to play also quiet, but every time I go out on the court and I have to play aggressive, it comes automatically. It is not that I am doing it on purpose or I just -- it is just the way-- the power I put in and so-- but outside of the court I am never really emotion -- too emotional. I am quiet, more quiet, actually.

THOMAS MUSTER: I am not number one. I don't think they have to be. There is nobody --

THOMAS MUSTER: I am the only seed left, maybe the most unexpected left, so well, I just take it match by match, I think the guys coming up, I mean, they are all beatable for me, but I always be able to lose to them, I mean, it will depend just a lot on my courage; how I am going to workout there, and be able to keep up my level the way I am playing.

THOMAS MUSTER: No, I mean, if I always play like against Aaron, then I would maybe be the favorite here. It is a different kind of game. I mean, Patrick is playing, I mean, he is playing the balls more flat. I mean, they don't come up to much and Aaron was playing the balls quite high and I had more chances just to go for it. Patrick, I mean, he missed a couple of shots too, but basically he was taking the balls very low. He was controlling the court and I was playing very deep, so there wasn't so much of a chance for me to -- just at the beginning of the second set, he started when we came out the second time, played high because he was immediately-- he had to defend himself somewhere on the baseline. So then he start going back to the way he started; it was more difficult for me because the balls were very flat.

THOMAS MUSTER: I think Brad has a very good chance. He always used to play well here at the Open. Holm is very aggressive serve and volley player. I think he has confidence by beating Michael Stich, so I think it is a very even game and Brad is going to push his balls and Paul is going to go for it. It is a very interesting match to watch. I mean, I think I would prefer to play Brad Gilbert.

THOMAS MUSTER: Well, definitely because it did already in 89 when I had that, was a couple of months out, plus I mean, if I have to play more on this surface, if I want to be top 10, I probably have to, it is not going to be better. It is definitely, I mean, I could play longer. I don't know how long I am going to play, but definitely I could play probably without pain today. All the following injuries I had pulled muscles, shin splints, I mean, whatever, everyday two hours more in the trainers room is no fun to do that. I mean, I like to do it because I like to play, but, I mean it is no fun to do that everyday.